The CVN-79 Enterprise?

A retired Navy Captain and fellow blogger Steeljaw Scribe has started a petition to name the second aircraft carrier in the Gerald R. Ford class the USS Enterprise.

The yet-unnamed flat-top, known only as CVN-79, is due to enter the fleet in 2019 or 2020, according to the Navy's estimates.

Steeljaw, who apparently retracted in horror when the name Barry Goldwater was thrown around as a potential namesake of the ship, started a petition in July 2009 to send to Congress advocating for the carrier to instead be named the USS Enterprise.

The active USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2012 after two final deployments. The ship is now in Newport News undergoing a maintenance period.

The ship-naming game is a tricky business, and we're not sure Goldwater -- the former Arizona Senator and Republican Presidential candidate -- would be a serious consideration, considering ships are named by the Navy Secretary. And that Navy Secretary is Democrat Ray Mabus.

But stranger things have happened.

CVN-79's naming is likely to take place either in late 2011 or early 2012, a year or so before its contract is awarded. That means Mabus is probably still in office.

Over its history, the U.S. Navy has named six ships Enterprise, including the carrier, CV-6, arguably the most decorated naval ship in World War II.

Comments

Many thanks for the mention - every bit helps to turn out the vote :)

We are fast closing on 2200 signatures and are #8 on the top ten list of e-petitions.

w/r, SJS

P.S. Reacted not nearly in the same horror as when Truman was named (if one understands Truman's history vs. Navy and naval aviation in particular) which is what started me thinking about carrier naming...

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About the Author

Peter Frost joined the Daily Press in November 2007. He covers the Port of Virginia, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and other large Hampton Roads companies. Peter’s a Minnesota native and a baseball junkie. You can follow Peter at twitter.com/peterfrost.